Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Lisbon: an Architectural Wonder

I fell in love a couple of weeks ago.
She's older, but with lots of character. Sweet, too.

I'm referring to Lisbon. I literally
couldn't walk one block without coming across an amazing facade of a
building, or a cool store, or a museum, or... there was way too much
to see in only a few days. With the sweetness, I'm referring to the
amazing Portuguese desserts. I've said it before: Spain is lacking in
baked goods. Portugal rules.

San Geronimo

After my last visit to Portugal,
I decided to learn a few words before arriving. I'm not sure if it's
because my Spanish fluency is extremely high, but I could slightly
understand what the Lisbon people were saying to each other. Their
level of English and Spanish is high too, so speaking wasn't too
difficult.

Mercado da Ribeira, with 30 food stalls

When I left my hostel, which was
located in a neighborhood so sketchy [Intendente] that a policeman told
me it problematic, it would take me forever to meet my
friends because I had to
stop constantly and admire something: a building, pastry display,a
cute Portuguese man... taking the symbolic tram once in a
while helped me manage the hills and daytime heat. At night, it was
so cool I had to put on pants and a sweater.

Compare prices. During a hot climb
to the castle of Sao Jorge, I popped into a fancy cafe called
Belmonte for a juice. I almost paid 2E, but I didn't have change, so
I waited until I'd bought my castle ticket and popped into Cafe Sao
Jorge, where a juice cost 1.20E. F*** you, Belmonte.

Don't wear heels or shoes with a
slippery sole. There wasn't a single piece of sidewalk in Lisbon
that wasn't covered in dangerous, neck-breaking tiles. After a few close calls, I wore my ugly, but safe, suede boots.

If you thought Spain's eating and
store schedules are weird, wait until you get to Lisbon: the stores
open early but shut early, as in 8 p.m. Some monuments close at 6
p.m. Kitchens close at 11 p.m.

There were so many places I didn't see,
that I've already started planning my next trip to see my lover;
Lisbon, te quiero, y nos vemos pronto.